Bayern Munich have sacked coach Felix Magath and replaced him with Ottmar Hitzfeld until the end of the season.

Magath replaced Hitzfeld in July 2004 and guided the four-time European champions to league and cup doubles in each of his first two seasons in charge. Hitzfeld won the Champions League with Bayern in 2001 during a long and successful spell of his own as coach.

However, this season Bayern are currently fourth in the Bundesliga, five points behind leaders Werder Bremen and Schalke. The team has already lost five games in the league and been eliminated from the German Cup.

Club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the club had to react to the situation. "We regret this step. Felix Magath did a very good job in the last 2½ years in Bayern, with great success, especially the two doubles," said Rummenigge. "But we, as those responsible for the club, had to react to the current developments. Concern about qualifying for next season's Champions League led us to reach today's decision.

"The Champions League is very important for our image and for our finances. We felt that with Ottmar Hitzfeld in charge until the end of the season we can achieve this goal," he added, acknowledging that only two Bundesliga teams earn automatic berths into next season's competition, with the third going into qualifying.

"Of course this is not a pleasant situation," said Magath. "I had 2½ beautiful and successful years in Bayern, of which I can be proud. But I always knew that this was not forever."

Magath had written off the side's chances of making up the deficit to win the league title again in the wake of Tuesday's home draw with Bochum. "We don't need to talk about the title any more," he had told reporters. "We have to make sure of getting second or third." Bayern are also out of the German Cup after losing to modest Alemannia Aachen in December.